Soccer: Van der Meyde fit to face Scots

DUTCH winger Andy van der Meyde fainted during a television interview yesterday but the Dutch FA KNVB said he would be fit to play in tomorrow’s Euro 2004 playoff second leg against Scotland.

Van der Meyde, a constant danger against the Scots despite the 1-0 defeat on Saturday, suffered constriction of the blood vessels, aggravated by heat from the TV crew's spotlights during an interview at a Dutch team news conference.

During an interview, the striker suddenly collapsed and fell with his head against a loudspeaker. But after the initial shock was over things turned out not to be as serious as feared.